


just take your time wherever you go

by orphan_account



Category: Suite Life of Zack & Cody
Genre: Episode Related, Fluff, M/M, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:28:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26061172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: set after s2e1 ‘odd couples’. zack and cody make up.
Relationships: Cody Martin/Zack Martin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	just take your time wherever you go

Dinner was less of a cacophony of scraping forks and sibling infighting than usual. Zack had actually made an effort to eat like a civilized human- he’d used his fork for almost everything on his plate, and Carey only had to tell him off for eating with his fingers once. They made it through the evening without any interruptions or urgent phone calls to attend to, and when the boys were excused, Zack offered to rinse both his and Cody’s dishes. 

Cody looked up at his twin where he was leaning over him, poised to bus the table with a lopsided smile. Their mom looked as surprised as he felt. He nodded his agreement and Zack hopped cheerfully to the sink with a stack of plates and cups and silverware piled up precariously. The faucet rumbled on and, whistling something off-tune, he set to work on a chore that Cody wasn’t even sure he knew how to do. 

Trying to ignore the splashes of water he was getting on the kitchen floor, Cody offered up a goodnight hug to his mother and shuffled off to brush his teeth. He ran through his evening routine in methodical steps, rinsed and repeated, and ended up back in his bedroom for the second time since he’d been kicked out of his closet. He felt a pang of upset when he thought about what he’d left behind- that flat screen T.V. was a bitter loss- but as he inspected the neat corners of Zack’s made bed, he couldn’t help his creeping satisfaction. 

After all, it was Zack’s stubborn untidiness that had forced him out. He hadn’t particularly wanted to leave, but the repeated stress had scraped away at his patience and he couldn’t take back what he’d said before he stormed out. 

While Cody was sleeping on a nest of out-of-season coats he’d had a nightmare, and when he shook himself awake he had to remind himself that he couldn’t go curl up with his brother like usual, that their shared space had become just as inhabitable as his dreams. So he’d doubled down on his solitude. He was fully committed to that closet and forgetting Zack altogether. 

The only thing better than the fact that he’d obviously gotten under Zack’s skin was the apology in the form of a clean room. It was almost as good as Cody’s usual work, though Zack hadn’t wiped underneath all the objects on their desk (Cody checked), and there was a flannel shirt hanging over the laundry hamper. He smiled to himself and fixed it, then crossed the room to the window so he could run his fingers and check for dust on the sill. 

The building across the street was glimmering, part of the late night parade of lights that downtown Boston became on the weekends. Cody let himself get distracted by all the presumably well-dressed couples stepping out of their cars. With their suite so high up, people-watching was more like observing vaguely colorful specks, but he and Zack had spent countless unproductive hours making up stories about the dots as they moseyed in and out of their view. It was good to be back. He’d never imagined himself calling busy evenings _comforting_ , but traffic sounds and street lamps were like a cozy quilted blanket compared to the cobwebs and eggshell walls of his walk-in. 

The door opened and shut without Cody noticing, so Zack’s clammy hands on his neck made him jump a bit. 

“I thought the apology thing was supposed to be sincere,” he snipped, batting his brother’s arm away. Zack crowded him up against the glass and Cody pointedly ignored the way his heart jumped, turned in his arms to face him. 

His easy, fond smirk was unfortunately adorable. “And I thought the room and the dishes made up for everything,” he replied. 

_They did,_ Cody thought. He brought his arms up around Zack’s shoulders and shook his head. “You have to act sorry for a few more days, at least.” 

“So fussy,” he said, “but I’ll try. Wouldn’t want you moving out again.” 

Cody quirked up an intrigued eyebrow. “Sounds like someone missed me,” he ventured.

Zack snorted and shrugged, and Cody could feel the tips of his shaggy blond hair against his wrists, and the body heat that they were starting to work up together. “Course not. It’s just not as fun to spit at people on the sidewalk if you’re not nagging me to stop.” 

Cody tucked his head under Zack’s chin, hoping he hadn’t seen the smile. “Whatever you say, Zack.” 

They stayed quiet for a moment. Cody could have drifted off right there with the steady rhythm of traffic and chatter and Zack’s even breaths trying to convince him he should rest. He was just about to when he felt soft fingers at the nape of his neck, carding through his hair in a way that was just a little too rough. “I’m glad you’re back, though,” Zack said. Cody melted, certain he’d left a puddle where he used to be. He lifted himself up and met his brother’s eyes, gave him a sincere grin. 

And then Zack kissed him. 

He must have crashed out the window and fallen twenty-three stories to his death. It was chaste, sweet and syrupy, and after Cody checked to make sure he was still standing in their room he closed his eyes and kissed back. His hands trailed down to his brother’s chest, gripped weakly at his ugly orange shirt while Zack held his waist with inexperienced hands and pushed him up against the city skyline. 

“Don’t go?” He implored when it was over, when Cody was still catching his balance and blinking stars out of his eyes. 

How could he ever leave again? He bumped his cold nose against Zack’s jaw and relished in the little shiver he got in return. It was the little things. “As if you could get rid of me,” he said, and Zack’s chirpy laugh was just like a kiss in its own right. “Just keep your side clean, or you’re sleeping on the couch.” 

“Yes, dear,” Zack griped, a half-serious imitation of a henpecked husband. 

Cody realized he’d have to brush his teeth a second time. He didn’t really want to be anywhere else, though, didn’t want to step out of this moment in time where everything was fuzzy and ideal between them, where Zack was contrite and happy and openly affectionate. 

He worked up the courage and pecked his twin on the lips. If he had to redo his bedtime routine because Zack had kissed him, well, he might as well delay the inevitable. 

**Author's Note:**

> am i writing fic of an incest ship from a show that ended like six years ago with 15 fics in the tag?
> 
> hell yeah brother. anyways in this ep they literally get called ‘mr. and mrs. martin’ so blame the disney channel


End file.
